Method for manufacturing display device

ABSTRACT

According to exemplary embodiments, a method for manufacturing a display device may include providing a bending object on a stage, bending the bending object by bringing a bending bar into contact with the bending object, and measuring a movement route of the bending bar.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2016-0113788 filed on Sep. 5, 2016, which is herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND Field

Exemplary embodiments relate to a bending apparatus and a method formanufacturing a display device using the same.

Discussion of the Background

Electronic devices, such as mobile phones, notebook computers, personaldigital assistants, tablets, etc, are widely used. Recently, electronicdevices based on mobility, such as mobile phones and tablets have beenwidely used.

These devices typically include display devices, such as a liquidcrystal display (LCD) and an organic light emitting display (OLED), etc,for providing users with visual information such as images and video tosupport various functions. Recently, with a decrease in size of othercomponents for driving the display device, there has been a tendency fora gradual increase in a proportion of the electronic device occupied bythe display device, and a structure capable of being bent from a flatstate to have a given angle has also been developed.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only forenhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept,and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the priorart that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skillin the art.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments provide a bending apparatus that minimizes damageto a bending object during a bending process.

Exemplary embodiments provide a method of manufacturing a display devicethat minimizes damage to a bending object during a bending process.

Additional aspects will be set forth in the detailed description whichfollows, and, in part, will be apparent from the disclosure, or may belearned by practice of the inventive concept.

Exemplary embodiments provide a method for manufacturing a displaydevice, the method including providing a bending object on a stage,bending the bending object by bringing a bending bar into contact withthe bending object, and measuring a movement route of the bending bar.

The movement route of the bending bar may include an accelerationsection in which a moving speed of the bending bar increases, and aconstant speed section in which the moving speed of the bending bar isconstant.

The measuring the movement route of the bending bar may includemeasuring the movement route of the bending bar in the constant speedsection.

The bending of the bending object may include moving the bending baralong a standard route, and the method may further include comparing themeasured movement route with the standard route.

The method may further include moving the bending bar according to acorrected movement route when the measured movement route deviates fromthe standard route.

The moving the bending bar according to the corrected movement route maybe performed in real time, while bending the bending object.

The measured movement route may include at least one coordinateindicating a position of the bending bar, and the corrected movementroute may include at least one target coordinate.

The bending object may be a film member on which electronic elements aremounted.

The bending object may include a panel, and a flexible printed circuitboard attached to the panel.

The bending bar may contact the flexible printed circuit board.

The bending object may include a panel, and a window disposed on thepanel.

The bending bar may contact the panel.

The bending bar may contact the window.

Exemplary embodiments provide a bending apparatus including a stage onwhich a bending object is positioned, a bending bar, a drive unitconnected to the bending bar and configured to move the bending baraccording to a standard route to bend the bending object by coming intocontact with the bending object, and a measuring unit that measures amovement route of the bending bar.

The bending apparatus may further include a control unit that determinesa corrected movement route on a basis of the movement route measured bythe measuring unit, and the driving unit that drives the bending barunder control of the control unit to move to bend the bending objectaccording to the corrected movement route.

The measured movement route may include at least one coordinateindicating a position of the bending bar, and the control unit maydetermine at least one target coordinate as the corrected movementroute.

Exemplary embodiments provide a method of manufacturing a displaydevice, the method including providing a bending object on a stage,moving a bending bar along at least a portion of a given route to bendthe bending object, the bending bar contacting the bending object,measuring a movement route of the bending bar when the bending barmoves, and correcting the given route with a corrected movement routebased on the measured movement route.

The given route may include first coordinates and second coordinates,and the moving the bending bar may include moving the bending bar alongthe first coordinates.

The method may further include moving the bending bar according to thirdcoordinates of the corrected route, the third coordinates correspondingto the second coordinates.

The method may further include moving the bending bar according to firstcoordinates of the corrected route. The given route may include secondcoordinates, and the first coordinates corresponds to the secondcoordinates.

According to exemplary embodiments, damage to the bending object duringthe bending process may be minimized. The process efficiency may beimproved by reducing the damage to the bending object.

Effects according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept are not limited by the contents mentioned above, and furthervarious effects are included herein.

The foregoing general description and the following detailed descriptionare exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the inventive concept, and are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplaryembodiments of the inventive concept, and, together with thedescription, serve to explain principles of the inventive concept.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a bending apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the bending apparatus according to theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bending apparatus when a bending object isbent.

FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining the operation of the bendingapparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating standard points andmeasurement points.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating standard points andmeasurement points after correcting a movement route according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating standard points andmeasurement points according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating measurement points in aconstant speed section.

FIG. 9 is a top view of a bending apparatus according to anotherexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the bending apparatus according to theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a table illustrating coordinates of measurement points.

FIG. 12 is a side view of a bending apparatus according to anotherexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the bending apparatus of FIG. 12 when abending object is bent.

FIG. 14 is a partial top view of FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a side view of a bending apparatus according to still anotherexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the bending apparatus of FIG. 15 when abending object is bent.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a bending apparatus according to still yetanother exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a side view of the bending apparatus of FIG. 17 when abending object is bent.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart of a manufacturing process in accordance with anexemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of various exemplary embodiments. It is apparent, however,that various exemplary embodiments may be practiced without thesespecific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring various exemplaryembodiments.

In the accompanying figures, the size and relative sizes of layers,films, panels, regions, etc., may be exaggerated for clarity anddescriptive purposes. Also, like reference numerals denote likeelements.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,”or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on,connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer or interveningelements or layers may be present. When, however, an element or layer isreferred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or“directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no interveningelements or layers present. For the purposes of this disclosure, “atleast one of X, Y, and Z” and “at least one selected from the groupconsisting of X, Y, and Z” may be construed as X only, Y only, Z only,or any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z, such as, for instance,XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Asused herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of oneor more of the associated listed items.

Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describevarious elements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections, theseelements, components, regions, layers, and/or sections should not belimited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element,component, region, layer, and/or section from another element,component, region, layer, and/or section. Thus, a first element,component, region, layer, and/or section discussed below could be termeda second element, component, region, layer, and/or section withoutdeparting from the teachings of the present disclosure.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper,” “top,” “side,” and the like, may be used herein for descriptivepurposes, and, thereby, to describe one element or feature'srelationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in thedrawings. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of an apparatus in use, operation, and/or manufacture inaddition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, ifthe apparatus in the drawings is turned over, elements described as“below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented“above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below”can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Furthermore, theapparatus may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or atother orientations), and, as such, the spatially relative descriptorsused herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms, “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Moreover,the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one ormore other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof.

Various exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference tosectional illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealizedexemplary embodiments and/or intermediate structures. As such,variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, forexample, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, exemplary embodiments disclosed herein should not beconstrued as limited to the particular illustrated shapes of regions,but are to include deviations in shapes that result from, for instance,manufacturing. As such, the regions illustrated in the drawings areschematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate theactual shape of a region of a device and are not necessarily intended tobe limiting.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure is a part. Terms,such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should beinterpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning inthe context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in anidealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a bending apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the bending apparatus according tothe exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the bending apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment includes a stage ST on which at least a portion ofa bending object (i.e., the object to be bent, such as a displaycomponent as described below) is placed, a bending bar BB that comesinto contact with one side of the bending object to bend a film memberFI, and a measuring unit CA (e.g., a camera) that measures the movementroute of the bending bar BB.

The stage ST may provide a space on which the bending object is seated.The stage ST may fix portions of the bending object.

The bending object is capable of deformation (e.g., bending) andflexibility. The bending object may be a thin plate-shaped member. Forexample, the bending object may include the film member FI on which theelectronic elements are mounted. The electronic elements, for example,may include a signal line, a pad, an electrode, and the like. However,the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and the bendingobject may be one of suitable members which have flexibility. Forexample, the bending object may include a display panel for the displaydevice, a touch screen panel (TSP), a flexible printed circuit board(FPC), a touch unit and the like.

The stage ST may fix at least a part of one side of the film member FI.That is, a part of the film member FI may overlap the stage ST, and theremainder may not overlap the stage ST.

The bending bar BB may be disposed on one side of the film member FI.The bending bar BB may have a bar shape and may extend in thelongitudinal direction. The bending bar BB, for example, may extend inan x-axis direction in FIG. 1.

The bending bar BB may be in contact with one side of the film memberFI. The length of the bending bar BB may be greater than a width of thefilm member FI. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limitedthereto, and the length of the bending bar BB may be shorter than orequal to the width of the film member FI without departing from thescope of the inventive concept.

The bending bar BB may fix the film member FI. The bending bar BB mayfix the film member FI, for example, by utilizing a vacuum suctionmethod or an adhesion method. However, these are merely an example, andthe fixing method of the bending bar BB is not limited thereto.

In an exemplary embodiment, the bending bar BB is attached to one sideof the film member FI, but is not limited thereto, and the bending barBB may also be attached on the other side of the film member FI inanother exemplary embodiment. However, hereinafter, the description willbe given of a case where the bending bar BB comes into contact with oneside of the film member FI for descriptive convenience.

A portion of the one side of the film member FI is fixed to the bendingbar BB, and another portion thereof may be fixed to the stage ST. Inthis state, the film member FI may be bent by movement of the bendingbar B. Detailed description thereof will be described with reference toFIG. 3.

The measuring unit CA may be positioned beside the bending bar BB tomeasure the movement route of the bending bar BB.

The bending apparatus may further include a control unit 100 whichcontrols the measuring unit CA and/or the bending bar BB. The controlunit 100 may include a memory unit 140, a signal unit 110, and acalculating unit 120.

The memory unit 140 may store a standard route. The memory unit 140 mayfurther store the movement route of the bending bar BB measured by themeasuring unit CA. The damage to the bending area BA of the film memberFI may differ depending on the movement route of the bending bar BB. Thestandard route may be experimentally derived, or may be a value of anideal route. The standard route may be input and stored in the memoryunit 140 before measuring the movement route of the bending bar BB. Thestandard route may be updated based on the measured movement route ofthe bending bar BB in an exemplary embodiment.

The signal unit 110 may provide a start signal and a termination signalto the measuring unit CA. The measuring unit CA may start themeasurement of the movement route of the bending bar BB by receiving thestart signal of the signal unit 110, and may terminate the measurementby receiving the termination signal of the signal unit 110.

The calculating unit 120 may compare the standard route with themovement route of the bending bar BB measured by the measuring unit CA,or may compare the movement routes of two or more bending bars BBmeasured by the measuring unit CA.

A driving unit 130 may move, in response to control signals transferredfrom the control unit 100, the bending bar BB to bend the film member FIin the bending process.

The control unit 100 may correct the movement route of the bending barBB on the basis of the comparison results. The control unit 100 maycontrol, based on the comparison results at the calculating unit 120,the driving unit 130 to move the bending bar BB according to a correctedmovement route.

Next, the description will be provided with reference to FIG. 2. In anexemplary embodiment, a standard line SL may be defined at one end ofthe stage ST. However, the position of the standard line SL is notlimited thereto, and may vary depending on the specific structure of thedevice.

The movement route of the bending bar BB may be represented withcoordinates. The movement route of the bending bar BB measured by themeasuring unit CA may include coordinates indicating positions of thebending bar BB in the bending process. For example, each of thecoordinates may be defined as a first distance y1 between the standardline SL and the bending bar BB. The coordinate of the bending bar BB mayvary during the bending process.

For example, the first distance y1 may be a distance between one side ofthe bending bar BB and the standard line SL, or may be a distancebetween the central portion of the bending bar BB and the standard lineSL as shown in FIG. 2. For another example, a standard mark may beformed on a given portion of the bending bar BB, and the first distancey1 may be measured as a distance between the standard line SL and thestandard mark.

That is, when considering based on FIG. 2, the standard line SL may bean origin, and the value of the y-coordinate of the bending bar BB maybe −y1.

Subsequently, the operation of the bending apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the bending apparatus when a bending object isbent.

Referring to FIG. 3, the bending bar BB may bend the film member FI, bycoming into contact with one side of the film member FI to push up thefilm member FI or pull the film member FI. The bending bar BB may bedisposed to face the stage ST in a state in which the bending iscompleted. When the bending is completed, a bending area BA may beformed in the film member FI.

The bending bar BB may be driven by the driving unit 130. That is, thedriving unit 130 may move the bending bar BB. In an exemplaryembodiment, the driving unit 130 may be controlled by the control unit100.

In an exemplary embodiment, the bending of the bending bar BB may beperformed several times. In the primary bending process, the controlunit 100 commands the driving unit 130 to move the bending bar BB alongthe standard route. However, the actual movement route of the bendingbar BB may differ from the standard route, and the control unit 100(specifically, the calculating unit 120) may correct the movement of thebending bar BB by comparing such a difference. Hereinafter, the movementroute correction of the bending bar BB will be described in detail.

FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining the operation of the bendingapparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4, the measuring unit CA may measure the position ofthe bending bar BB at predetermined time intervals. That is, a firstmeasurement point P1 to a seventh measurement point P7 are obtained bymeasuring the positions of the bending bar BB at predetermined timeintervals. Although FIG. 4 illustrates a case where there are seven (7)measurement points, which is merely an example, the number ofmeasurement points may be less than 7 or may be greater than 7 inaccordance with the measurement time intervals.

For descriptive convenience, an initial state and a termination statewill be defined. The initial state may be defined as a state before thebending is started. The termination state may be defined as a stateafter the bending is started and the particular process is completed.The bending bar BB may bend the film member FI from the initial state tothe termination state in each of the bending processes.

Measurement in the measuring unit CA may be performed between theinitial state and the termination state. However, the point of time atwhich the measuring unit CA starts the measurement may be varied asrequired. This will be described below in detail.

The positions of each measurement point may be represented by they-coordinate (the distance between the standard line SL and the bendingbar BB). For example, the position of the first measurement point P1 maybe −d1, the position of the second measurement point P2 may be −d2, theposition of the third measurement point P3 may be −d3, the position ofthe fourth measurement point P4 may be −d4, the position of the fifthmeasurement point P5 may be d5, the position of the sixth measurementpoint P6 may be d6, and the position of the seventh measurement point P6may be d7. In the present specification, symbols “−” and “+” are basedon the standard line SL, and the positions of each measurement point mayrefer to the relative positions.

In an exemplary embodiment, the distance between adjacent measurementpoints may be the same. That is, the bending bar BB may move at aconstant speed. However, the inventive concepts are not limited thereto,and the movement of the bending bar BB may include the accelerationsection and the constant speed section in other exemplary embodiments,such as the one described below in detail with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating standard points andmeasurement points.

Referring to FIG. 5, the standard route may include a plurality ofstandard points. FIG. 5 illustrates a case where there are sevenstandard points R1 to R7 corresponding to the seven measurement pointsP1 to P7, respectively, but number of standard points is not limitedthereto.

The standard point may be a specific value or a specific range. FIG. 5illustrates a case where the standard point has a specific range. Inother words, if the measurement point is positioned in the range of thestandard point, it is possible to determine that the movement of thebending bar BB is performed along the standard route.

At least some of the first measurement point P1 to the seventhmeasurement point P7 may deviate from the standard point. FIG. 5illustrates the case where all the seven measurement points deviate fromthe range of the standard point, but is not limited thereto, all theseven measurement points may be positioned in the range of the standardpoint, or some of the seven measurement points may deviate from thestandard point.

If the actual movement route of the bending bar BB deviates from thestandard route, damage may occur in the bending area BA of the filmmember FI. According to an exemplary embodiment, the movement route ofthe bending bar BB is corrected so that the bending bar BB moves alongthe standard route when the movement route of the bending bar BBdeviates from the standard route. For example, target positions formoving the bending bar BB is corrected, and the bending bar BB may becontrolled to move according to the corrected movement route whichincludes the target positions so that the bending bar BB moves along thestandard route. For example, the bending bar BB may be positioned tomove in the direction of the arrows from the measurement points P1 to P7into the standard point according to the corrected movement route.

The calculating unit 120 may measure the degree to which the measurementpoint deviates from the standard point by comparing the measurementpoint with the standard point. The control unit 100 may correct theposition of the bending bar BB on the basis of the degree. Specifically,it is possible to correct the position coordinates (y-coordinates inFIG. 5) of the bending bar BB.

Subsequently, the operation of the bending apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating standard points andmeasurement points after correcting a movement route according to anexemplary embodiment.

The position correction of the bending bar BB may be performed in astate in which the bending bar BB is restored to its initial state afterthe primary bending process. The secondary bending may be performed bycorrecting the position of the bending bar BB.

FIG. 6 illustrates a case where all the measurement points P1_1 to P7_1are positioned in the range of the standard points R1 to R7 in thesecondary bending, however, the embodiments are not limited thereto. Forinstance, in the secondary bending, at least some of the measurementpoints may deviate from the standard points. In this instance, thetertiary bending process may be further performed correcting theposition of the bending bar BB. By repeatedly performing the bendingmultiple times, the movement route and the standard route of the bendingbar BB may be made to match each other.

Subsequently, a bending apparatus according to another embodiment willbe described. In the following examples, the same configurations as theaforementioned configurations will be denoted by the same referencenumbers, and the repeated description will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating standard points andmeasurement points according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7, a bending apparatus is different from theembodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6 in that the position of the bending bar BBis corrected in real time during bending.

The position correction of the bending bar BB may be performed in realtime.

Specifically, the measurement point deviating from the standard pointmay be measured during the bending process. FIG. 7 illustrates a casewhere the second measurement point P2 deviates from the second standardpoint R2. At this time, the calculating unit 120 calculates the degreeto which the second measurement point P2 deviates from the secondstandard point R2, and the control unit 100 may command the driving unit130 to correct the position of the bending bar BB based on the degree.That is, by instantaneously correcting the position of the bending barBB, it is possible to correct the position (i.e., the y-coordinate) ofthe bending bar BB so that the bending bar BB follows the standard routebefore the next measurement point P3_2.

FIG. 7 illustrates a case where the measurement points P3_2 to P7_2 arepositioned in the standard points R3 to R7 after the position of thebending bar BB is corrected. However, the embodiments are not limitedthereto, and another measurement point may deviate from the standardpoint. In this case, the aforementioned process may be performed again.That is, the correction of the position of the bending bar BB may beperformed one or more times in the primary bending process by thecontrol unit 100.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating measurement points in aconstant speed section.

Referring to FIG. 8, the movement route of the bending bar BB includesan acceleration section and a constant speed section.

The moving speed of the bending bar BB between the initial state and thetermination state may be kept constant after the gradual increase. Thatis, the movement of the bending bar BB may include an accelerationsection in which the moving speed increases, and a constant speedsection in which the moving speed is constant.

In an exemplary embodiment, the measuring unit CA may measure themovement route of the bending bar BB after the bending bar BB enters theconstant speed section. That is, the signal unit 110 may provide a startsignal to the measuring unit CA, when the bending bar BB enters theconstant speed section. The measuring unit CA may start the measurementin response to the start signal provided from the signal unit 110.

FIG. 8 illustrates a case where the first to fifth measurement points P1to P5, which correspond to third to seventh standard points R3 to R7,are measured to after entering a velocity boundary VB between theacceleration section and the constant speed section.

The bending apparatus may correct the position of the bending bar BB onthe basis of the movement route information measured in the constantspeed section.

FIG. 9 is a top view of a bending apparatus according to anotherexemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view of the bending apparatusaccording to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a tableillustrating coordinates of measurement points.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, the bending apparatus may further include arotary driving unit RO. The rotary driving unit RO may be controlled bythe control unit 100, and may rotate the stage ST on the x-y plane.

The position of the bending bar BB is represented using the fourcoordinates. The standard point SP is defined at one end of the stageST. A central point CP for determining the position of the bending barBB is defined. The center point CP may be disposed in a central portionof the bending bar BB, but is not limited thereto, and may be located atanother position if desired.

The y-coordinate is defined substantially similarly to the coordinatedescribed in FIG. 2. That is, in FIG. 9, the y-coordinate of the centerpoint CP based on the standard point SP as the origin is −y1. Thex-coordinate may mean the distance in the x-axis direction between thecenter point CP and the standard point SP. That is, the x-coordinate ofthe center point CP is x1 in FIG. 9.

The z-coordinate may mean the height of the bending bar BB (see FIG.10). That is, the z-coordinate of the center point CP is z1.

A θ-coordinate may be defined as an angle formed between a lineconnecting the standard point SP and the center of the rotary drivingunit RO and a line connecting the center point CP and the center of therotary driving unit RO. That is, the θ-coordinate of the center point CPis θ1.

That is, the coordinates of the center point in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 maybe expressed by (x1, y1, z1 and θ1).

The control unit 100 may track the movement route of the bending bar BBusing these coordinates. Further, the control unit 100 may correct themovement route by changing the coordinates of the bending bar BB. Thecontrol unit 100 may control the bending bar BB and the rotary drivingunit RO to change the x-coordinate, the y-coordinate, the z-coordinate,and the θ-coordinate.

The standard route and the movement route may be stored or measured inthe form of Table as illustrated in FIG. 11. In the table of FIG. 11,the term “designation” refers to the relative value of the position ofthe standard route, and the term “current” refers to the value of themeasured route. Further, P1 to P7 refers to the measurement points thatare measured in the measuring unit CA.

FIG. 11 illustrates a case where the x-coordinate and the z-coordinatedeviate from the value of the standard route at the first measurementpoint P1 and the second measurement point P2. In this case, the controlunit 100 may command the driving unit 130 to correct the position of thebending bar BB. Specifically the control unit 100 may command thecorrection of the x-coordinate and/or the z-coordinate of the bendingbar BB that deviates from the standard route.

The position correction of the bending bar BB may be performed after theprimary bending process and before the secondary bending process asdescribed above (see FIG. 6), or may be performed in real time duringthe bending process (see FIG. 7). The position correction may beperformed once or more, as described in FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIGS. 9 to 11 illustrate a case of using four coordinates for indicatingeach position, but the number of available coordinates is not limitedthereto. For example, the bending apparatus may use four or lesscoordinates or may use five or more coordinates.

FIG. 12 is a side view of a bending apparatus according to anotherexemplary embodiment. FIG. 13 is a side view of the bending apparatus ofFIG. 12 when a bending object is bent. FIG. 14 is a partial top view ofFIG. 12.

Referring to FIG. 12, the bending object includes a panel PA and aflexible printed circuit board FPC.

The panel PA may include a display panel, a touch screen panel and/or atouch unit. The panel PA may be capable of flexibility. In other words,the panel PA may be bent, folded or rolled by having a bendable,foldable or rollable material or structure.

The flexible printed circuit board FPC may be a circuit board havingflexibility. The flexible printed circuit board FPC is attached to oneside of the panel PA, and may provide signals to the panel PA.

The bending bar BB may be in contact with and fixed to one side of theflexible printed circuit board FPC.

Referring to FIG. 13, in an exemplary embodiment, the bending bar BB maycontact one side of the flexible printed circuit board FPC and push upor pull the flexible printed circuit board FPC when the bending bar BBmoves. The panel PA may be bent according to the movement of the bendingbar BB. In the termination state, the bending bar BB and the flexibleprinted circuit board FPC may be disposed to face the stage ST. In thetermination state, the bending area BA may be formed in the panel PA.

Referring to FIG. 14, the flexible printed circuit board FPC may beattached to one side of the panel PA, specifically, a contact portionBO. Although it is not illustrated, the panel PA and the flexibleprinted circuit board FPC may contact each other through an anisotropicconductive film (ACF). In this instance, the panel PA and the flexibleprinted circuit board FPC may be electrically connected to each other.

In order to check the alignment in the termination state, an alignmentmark may be formed in the panel PA and/or the flexible printed circuitboard FPC. FIG. 14 illustrates a case where a first alignment mark AM1is formed on the panel PA and a second alignment mark AM2 is formed onthe flexible printed circuit board FPC. By checking whether the firstalignment mark AM1 and the second alignment mark AM2 are aligned in thetermination state, it is possible to check whether the panel PA and theflexible printed circuit board FPC are aligned.

FIG. 15 is a side view of a bending apparatus according to still anotherexemplary embodiment. FIG. 16 is a side view of the bending apparatus ofFIG. 15 when a bending object is bent.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, the bending object includes a window W anda panel PA.

The window W can be a cover window that is used in the display device.That is, the window W may be formed of a transparent material throughwhich light passes. The window, for example, may be formed to include atleast one of glass or transparent plastic.

FIG. 15 illustrates a case where the window W includes a single layer,but the structure of the window W is not limited thereto. For example,the window W may have a laminated structure in which a plurality offunctional layers is laminated.

An adhesive layer AD may be interposed between the window W and thepanel PA. That is, the window W and the panel PA may be glued togetherby the adhesive layer AD.

In an exemplary embodiment, the adhesive layer AD may include aphotocurable resin or a thermosetting resin having high transmittanceand adhesive performance in the embodiment. For example, the adhesivelayer AD may be formed by irradiating with ultraviolet (UV) to cure theresin, after applying resin such as acryl. In another embodiment, theadhesive layer AD may be configured to include an optically clearadhesive (OCA).

In an exemplary embodiment, the panel PA may have an area greater thanthe window W. That is, the panel PA may partially overlap the window W.

The bending bar BB may bend the panel PA, by coming into contact withthe one side of the panel PA to push up the panel PA. The bending bar BBmay be disposed to face the stage ST in the termination state. In thetermination state, a bending region BA may be formed on the panel PA.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a bending apparatus according to still yetanother exemplary embodiment. FIG. 18 is a side view of the bendingapparatus of FIG. 17 when a bending object is bent.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, the bending object includes a window W anda panel PA

In an exemplary embodiment, the window W may be bent together with thepanel PA. The window W may have flexible properties. In other words, thewindow W and the panel PA may be bent, folded or rolled by having abendable, foldable or rollable material or structure.

Referring to FIG. 18, the bending bar BB may bend the window W and panelPA, by coming into contact with one side of the window W to push up thewindow W. Thus, in the termination state, the bending bar BB may bedisposed to face the stage ST.

When the bending is completed, a bending area may be formed in thewindow W and the panel PA.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the display device according toan exemplary embodiment will be described with respect to FIG. 19. Inthe following embodiment, the same configurations as the aforementionedconfigurations are denoted by the same reference numbers, and therepeated description will be simplified or omitted.

The method for manufacturing the display device according to anexemplary embodiment includes a step of providing a bending object on astage ST, a step of bending the bending object by bringing the bendingbar BB into contact with the bending object, and a step of measuring themovement route of the bending bar BB.

The method for manufacturing the display device according to anexemplary embodiment may be performed by the bending apparatus accordingto the aforementioned exemplary embodiments. However, the embodimentsare not limited thereto.

The method for manufacturing the display device according to anexemplary embodiment may include the operation steps of the bendingapparatus according to the aforementioned exemplary embodiments.

First, the step of providing the bending object on the stage ST (S1910)is performed. The stage ST and the bending object may be substantiallyidentical to those described in the bending apparatus according toexemplary embodiments.

Next, the step of bending the bending object by bringing the bending barBB into contact with the bending object (S1920) may be performed. Thebending bar BB may bend the bending object, by coming into contact withat least one side of the bending object to push up the bending object orpull the bending object (see FIG. 3 or the like).

Then, the step of measuring the movement route of the bending bar BB(S1930) may be performed.

The movement route of the bending bar BB may be represented bycoordinates. For example, each position of the movement route of thebending bar BB may be represented by a single coordinate (see FIG. 4) ormay be represented by a plurality of coordinates (see FIGS. 9 to 11).

As described above, the movement route of the bending bar BB may includethe acceleration section and the constant speed section. In this case,the step of measuring the movement route of the bending bar BB may be astep of measuring the movement route of the bending bar BB at theconstant speed section (see FIG. 8).

The method for manufacturing the display device according to anexemplary embodiment may further include a step of comparing themeasured movement route with the standard route (S1940). The step ofcomparing the measured movement route with the standard route may beperformed by the calculating unit 120, but is not limited thereto (seeFIG. 5 or the like).

The method for manufacturing the display device according to anexemplary embodiment may further include a step of moving the bendingbar BB according to a corrected movement route (S1950) when the measuredmovement route deviates from the standard route. The corrected movementroute may include coordinates of the bending bar BB.

The position correction of the bending bar BB may be performed after theprimary bending process and before the secondary bending process (seeFIGS. 5 and 6), or may be performed in real time during a single bendingprocess (see FIG. 7)

The position correction of the bending bar BB may be performed once ormore during at least one bending process or after completion of oneprimary bending process.

A step of determining whether the given number of bending processes isfinished is performed (S1960). According to the result, step S1930 maybe performed. Steps S1930 to S1950 may be repeatedly performed until thegiven number of bending processes is finished (S1960).

Although certain exemplary embodiments and implementations have beendescribed herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparentfrom this description. Accordingly, the inventive concept is not limitedto such embodiments, but rather to the broader scope of the presentedclaims and various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for manufacturing a display device, themethod comprising: providing an object on a stage; bending the object bybringing a bar into contact with the object; and measuring a movementroute of the bar, wherein the movement route of the bar comprises anacceleration section in which a moving speed of the bar increases, and aconstant speed section in which the moving speed of the bar is constant.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring the movement route ofthe bar comprises measuring the movement route of the bar in theconstant speed section.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the object isa film member on which electronic elements are mounted.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the object comprises a panel, and a flexible printedcircuit board attached to the panel.
 5. The method of claim 4, whereinthe bar contacts the flexible printed circuit board.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the object comprises a panel, and a window disposed onthe panel.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the bar contacts the panel.8. The method of claim 6, wherein the bar contacts the window.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the bending of the object comprises movingthe bar along a standard route.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising comparing the measured movement route with the standardroute.
 11. A method for manufacturing a display device, the methodcomprising: providing an object on a stage; bending the object bybringing a bar into contact with the object; and measuring a movementroute of the bar, wherein the bending of the object comprises moving thebar along a standard route, and further comprising: comparing themeasured movement route with the standard route; and moving the baraccording to a corrected movement route when the measured movement routedeviates from the standard route.
 12. The method of claim 11, whereinthe moving the bar according to the corrected movement route isperformed in real time, while bending the object.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, wherein: the measured movement route comprises at least onecoordinate indicating a position of the bar; and the corrected movementroute comprises at least one target coordinate.
 14. A method ofmanufacturing a display device, the method comprising: providing anobject on a stage; moving a bar along at least a portion of a givenroute to bend the object, the bar contacting the object; measuring amovement route of the bar when the bar moves; and correcting the givenroute with a corrected movement route based on the measured movementroute.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein: the given route comprisesfirst coordinates and second coordinates; and the moving the barcomprises moving the bar along the first coordinates.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising: moving the bar according to thirdcoordinates of the corrected route, the third coordinates correspondingto the second coordinates.
 17. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising moving the bar according to first coordinates of thecorrected route, wherein the given route comprises second coordinates,and the first coordinates corresponds to the second coordinates.
 18. Themethod of claim 14, wherein: the movement route of the bar comprises anacceleration section in which a moving speed of the bar increases, and aconstant speed section in which the moving speed of the bar is constant,and the movement route is measured in the constant speed section.